A SENIOR LETTER

by The Athlete's Parent Staff

Insight by Nate Antioch

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If you could write a letter to yourself as a child what would it be? If only you had your future experiences to glean from as a young athlete, what could you have learned? For one athlete just graduating from high school, he too reflects on his journey, and has valuable advice for those still in the midst of the journey.

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Nate Antioch grew up a sports kid. Over the years he played several sports competitively including baseball, basketball, football, golf, soccer, and other sports for fun. He started playing soccer when he was seven years old, and grew to love and commit to this sport the most. Now with graduation, and the completion of his high school journey, Nate finds himself beginning a new chapter in life. While he anticipates attending college at Dallas Baptist University to study Biology on the Pre-Med tack, and becoming a future surgeon, he offers valuable advice to those young athletes still traveling the path he just completed.  

“My one piece of advice for younger athletes would be to take things a day at a time, and be in tune to what your body is telling you while playing a sport. In regards to the day at a time portion, don’t be in a rush when it comes to getting places and improving to the next level because it will pass by quicker than you think. Personally it feels like I was starting to play soccer a few days ago even though it has really been ten years. The saying ‘time flies’ is true in every aspect of life. Another thing is to be in tune with what your body is telling you, and know your limits when playing a sport. Growing up I struggled with many injuries and I pushed myself too hard when practicing and playing sports, which resulted in consequences later on down the road. For instance, I had fractured my ankle around December of my sixth grade year and sat out for three months while my ankle healed. Instead of slowly easing back into soccer I pushed myself too hard, and that resulted in me breaking my ankle again, which put me out of sports until the middle of summer. Because I didn’t take my time and pushed myself too hard, I ended up sitting out of sports from December until July causing me a large amount of time for practice and improvement. In the end, follow your dreams, but know your physical limits, and take your time when making large decisions in regards to your body and sports. ‘Slower is faster,’ as my dad always told me growing up.”